


Keith and the case of the mysterious boyfriend

by crystalklances



Series: Klance and the case of the mysterious... [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Misunderstandings, Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 23:03:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11473515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalklances/pseuds/crystalklances
Summary: “He said thank you, but he couldn't  accept my feelings because he’s already got a boyfriend.”Keith's eyes widened in shock. He almost dropped his pen, which would have caused a big blue streak on his notes.Lance had a what?!----Or: 5 times Keith doesn't know he is Lance's boyfriend, and the 1 time he finally does.





	Keith and the case of the mysterious boyfriend

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea I wanted to do for ages too and now finally wanted to try. Also because I've been wanting to try doing 5+1 fics for ages and this was the second thought I had for that.

1)

The first time Keith heard about it, he was sitting in the library, minding his own business and studying. Usually, he drowned out other people’s conversations to focus on his own work at hand, but he found that hard to do when he heard a familiar name being dropped.

“Lance is so cute!” A girl said. “I wish I could ask him out, but I’m too shy.”

Keith frowned. Lance was one of Keith’s close friends, so naturally, curiosity took over, and he listened in on the conversation. Eavesdropping wasn't usually Keith's thing, and he wasn’t too big on the whole gossiping thing either (that was more Hunk and Allura’s thing), but there was a personal connection here. And it wasn't exactly easy to just tune out—the girls were at the table right next to his.

“I know, right?” A second girl sighed.

“I actually confessed to him the other day,” a third voice chimed in.

There was a hint of sadness in her tone. Keith frowned again. He remembered Lance telling him about a girl who'd  asked him out, but that he'd rejected her. Was this girl the same girl that Lance had told him about? The girl continued after her friends urged her to tell the rest of the story, and Keith listened in as well, curiosity getting the better of him.

“I decided to ask just after Valentine's, because I figured before would’ve been too cliché. Well, and I had to wait for the post-Valentine's sale because I’m broke and all. Gave him a box of chocolates and a rose and said I liked him and everything. He said thank you, but he couldn't  accept my feelings because he’s already got a boyfriend.”

Keith's eyes widened in shock. He almost dropped his pen, which would have caused a big blue streak on his notes.

_Lance had a what?!_

Keith was so shocked, he was finally able to tune out the chattering. He didn’t hear anything past the other girls’ gasps of surprise. His own thoughts were racing. When did this happen? When did Lance get a boyfriend? Who was his boyfriend? Why didn’t Keith hear about this?

He tried to think back to the conversation from the other day, tried to figure out if he might have missed something. But, no—Keith was very sure that when Lance had told him about the girl asking him out, Lance hadn't  mentioned a boyfriend. He _did_ remember being confused when Lance had said, “I rejected her, _of course_ ,” and given Keith a meaningful look. Keith had merely nodded along, not sure what to say and unable to make sense of Lance’s words and gesture.

Had that been a sign? But why hadn't  Lance just told him that he had a boyfriend? They were close; they had bonded! So why did Lance keep a secret like that? Unless he only said it so the girl wouldn’t try to ask him out again, but… that didn’t really sound like something Lance would do. Rejecting someone like that, in general, didn’t seem like a thing Lance would do.

Did this mean that Lance really did have a boyfriend? Keith didn’t like the thought. Not one bit. And not just because Lance hadn't told him, no… he was jealous. He liked Lance—liked him quite a lot. Quite a lot, as in the “I wish we were boyfriends” kind of way. But Keith was also comfortable with what they had now and didn’t want to rush anything, so he had decided to wait for the right moment to confess his feelings and ask Lance out.

But now, apparently, it turned out he had waited too long, and that train had already left.

Keith shook his head to physically toss the thoughts away. Trying to think about all his missed opportunities was only making him madder at himself. He needed to study, anyway. That was what he was here for, after all. Stupid girls distracting him with their stupid conversation. Why did they have to talk about Lance of all people, and here of all places? Why did they have to do it right next to Keith? It just wasn’t fair.

Keith spent the next half hour trying so hard to stay focused on his notes, but he just couldn’t get the questions out of his head: Who was Lance’s mysterious boyfriend? And why did Keith never know until he heard it in passing? He was dying for answers, but he just didn’t know how to find them.

 

2)

After overhearing that conversation back at the library, Keith felt on edge whenever he was around Lance. He tried to analyze every interaction he observed Lance having  with other guys, trying to notice anything unusual.

Was he particularly touchy with a specific guy? Did he become softer? More flustered? Anything that wasn’t his normal behavior around people?

Keith was alert on his watch, but he couldn’t find anything that would point to Lance’s mysterious boyfriend. If anything, Lance was very touchy with _Keith_ , but that didn't mean anything; Lance had started getting touchy with Keith ever since they’d grown closer as friends, and they sure as heck weren’t dating. Neither of them had ever confessed their feelings, after all!

One afternoon, Keith and Lance were sitting in the food court of the mall.

The two of them had decided to take an afternoon off together, to relax and look at display windows, and take a breather from school. After a while, they took a break from walking around to grab a milkshake. To be precise, they were _sharing_ a vanilla milkshake. Keith usually preferred chocolate, but Lance wanted vanilla, so Keith agreed to go for that. Keith didn’t mind the taste, and it made Lance happy, so it was all good for him. Though why they were _sharing_ in the first place was a mystery to Keith. He assumed it might be to save money—they were both college students, after all—but wasn’t that a typical thing that romantic couples did?

Lance was chatting away about something that had happened in one of his classes, using his entire body while he talked, just as he always did. Keith watched and listened, unable to hold back a fond smile. He played with the straw absentmindedly as he gazed at Lance. Lance, still in the middle of telling his story, shot Keith a bright grin when he caught him smiling, which only resulted in Keith’s smile turning all the more fond.

They finished their milkshake and, after disposing of their tray, left to continue walking around the shops. Lance had his arm linked with Keith’s and smiled warmly. Keith’s heart was beating faster with every moment Lance stayed pressed against him like that, and he felt a pleasant warmth spreading from where Lance's arm touched his.

And yet, he couldn’t help but feel terrible, in the back of his mind.

Why was Lance doing this with him if he had a boyfriend somewhere? Or were all of these little gestures done with a purely platonic intent? Since Keith didn’t exactly have experience with romance, he had trouble keeping these things apart and could only go by what he typically saw portrayed in fiction.

Keith desperately wished for it to be romantic in nature, but if Lance really had a boyfriend… then it would never be that way.

Keith had to remind himself that the real deal would only be for whoever the mysterious lucky guy was.

 

3)

Two months after overhearing that fateful conversation in the library, Keith stopped frantically analyzing all of Lance’s interactions with other guys, but the question lingered in the back of his mind. He had to stay alert because he had yet to find an answer. Lance’s supposed boyfriend still remained a complete mystery, even though Keith had overheard more talk about him in conversations all over campus.

Lance’s boyfriend, apparently, looked all brooding and mysterious with his dark hair and dark eyes. That, at least, narrowed down the list of candidates. The only guy Keith knew personally who fit the description of dark hair and eyes was Hunk, but he fell off the list because he wasn’t “a jock” and “team captain,” as Keith had overheard in different conversations (not that he had caught of _which team_ ), nor was he brooding. And besides, it was a universally known fact that Hunk had a crush on Shay, so it just wasn’t possible. But every guy he came across who fit both of the descriptions either wasn’t close with Lance at all, was already in a relationship, or wasn’t into guys.

He tried to look for hints by observing Lance, but that didn’t lead him anywhere either. He tried asking Hunk, Pidge, Shiro, Allura, and even Coran, but all he got were reactions ranging from looks like he was crazy to a clap on the back along with a, “That’s a good one!” boomed out between laughter.

Keith was confused. How was he ever supposed to find out who Lance’s boyfriend was? Was all of this just some elaborate hoax? Was he just hallucinating everything?? The more time went on without Keith finding an answer, the more he started to doubt everything he thought he knew. He didn’t want to believe that he was going crazy though, so maybe it was just that Lance’s boyfriend was off-campus and never came here. So of course, if that were the case, Keith would never know who the guy was, let alone get to meet him.

Still, it sucked, the whole thing. Keith was dying to find the answer so that he could be sure that at least Lance was with someone who treated him right. He told himself that’s all it was, just the concern  that someone dear to him was being treated poorly. He tried to ignore the jealous voice gnawing away at his brain.

 

4)

Another two months in, Keith had started to accept defeat. He couldn’t change the fact that Lance was dating someone, and Lance seemed to be perfectly happy, and so, well, there was no reason for Keith to be so obsessed with it. It really wasn’t his place to be so nosy, that wasn’t even his usual self. He had to step back and just enjoy his time with Lance, even if he didn’t have a chance to date him.

One afternoon when they were both free from class, Keith accompanied Lance to the cat shelter for volunteer work. Keith mostly did what he was told to do, or tried to imitate Lance, because this was the first time he’d come along. It wasn’t that he didn't like cats or anything; quite the contrary. He’d just never had a chance to really be around cats, and he didn’t know how to approach stray cats, either.

Keith loved watching Lance, be it doing dirty work like cleaning the litter or just talking to people. But most of all, he loved watching Lance interact with the cats. Lance was already in good spirits when interacting with other humans, but he was especially happy when it came to cats. He just had this talent with them—he knew how to handle even the most stubborn ones, making them content, purring messes in his arms. He talked to them in a gentle and encouraging tone as if they were small children.

By the time the afternoon came to an end, Keith was tired, but he felt more in love with Lance than ever before, no matter how weird that seemed. It had always been these little things about Lance that drew Keith in.

He was washing his hands at the sink while Lance was out in the hallway with one of the women from staff. Keith could hear their conversation.

“You did a good job today, both of you are a good team,” the woman said. “If you ever have the time and want to help out again, feel free to drop by or give a call. We could always use some extra hands.”

“Sure! I had a lot of fun.” Lance laughed. “But I have to admit, part of why we came here is because I’m trying to ease my boyfriend into the idea of adopting a cat or two together when we get settled into our first apartment together.”

Keith froze. This was the first time he had actually heard Lance talk about his boyfriend himself. And it didn’t make any sense. Lance was here with Keith, and they had recently talked about renting an apartment together… but Keith wasn’t Lance’s boyfriend. So what was going on? _Was_ this some kind of elaborate hoax after all?

Keith didn’t understand anything.

For the rest of the day, he was lost in thought. When Lance asked him what was wrong, worry shining in his eyes and audible in his voice, Keith just smiled and replied that he was tired. He felt bad for making Lance worry, but he was just so confused.

 

5)

After the cat shelter incident, Keith was back to frantically analyzing everything—this time all of Lance’s interactions with _him_.

Lance hugging him anywhere and everywhere. Linking their arms together at any opportunity, sometimes one or two of their fingers instead. Casually leaning into Keith’s space like it was the most normal thing. Nuzzling his face into Keith’s hair. Sometimes snatching his jacket when Keith took it off. And it _was_ the most normal thing for them, after all this time. Keith loved each and every instance, reveled in the warm feeling that spread in his chest and stomach.

Sometimes, Keith caught more snippets of conversation where Lance talked about his boyfriend… and each time, the situations pointed to Keith.

But none of that still made any sense. How could it be? How could they be boyfriends without Keith ever knowing? Was there something he'd missed? When did it happen? How?

There was only one way to find out: he had to ask Lance directly.

 

+1)

Finally, Keith decided to do it. He would ask Lance about his boyfriend to figure out what was going on.

They were sitting alone in Lance’s dorm room, looking up apartments they could have a look at to try and rent. Keith thought this was the perfect opportunity. Without waiting to catch Lance’s attention, he asked, “Am I your boyfriend?”

Lance’s hand froze, hovering just above the laptop’s trackpad. He looked up, mouth falling open. “What?”

“I mean… you have a boyfriend, and I’m wondering… is that supposed to be me?”

Lance stared at him for a moment, opening and closing his mouth over and over, apparently at a loss for words. Then, he said, “Keith, what the hell?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What is that supposed to—oh my god. Are you for real?” Lance threw his arms up. “We’ve been dating for nearly seven months, and _now_ you ask if you’re my boyfriend?!”

“Wait, what?” Now it was Keith’s turn to gape like a fish. “Nearly _seven months_? How? When did that happen?”

Lance continued to stare at Keith in disbelief before relenting and answering the question. “On Valentine’s Day! I gave you special homemade chocolates, and you smiled all big and said thank you!” The corners of Lance’s lips were trembling, like they always did when he was upset. Keith always hated seeing him upset. “I thought that was Keith-speak for ‘the feeling is mutual!’ Don’t tell me all this time I’ve assumed wrong and you don’t actually like me—god, that would be so embarrassing…”

“What—oh my god.” Keith thought back to that day, trying to process this new information. “You didn’t even _say_ anything and I—oh my god. I thought, I thought that was because we’re such great friends!”

“Are you telling me you didn’t even _look_ at them?! I made them spell ‘I love you!’ Arranging the red and blue decorations like that took forever!” Now Lance’s eyes were dark with frustration.

Keith felt like violently smacking his own head with his palm, multiple times. “I’m an idiot! All this time I’ve been trying to figure out who your mysterious boyfriend is and it was _me_ all along!”

“But that still doesn’t answer the most important question!” Lance exclaimed. “Is the feeling _mutual_?!”

“Yes!” Keith’s voice cracked embarrassingly. “The feeling is so mutual it’s not even funny.”

Lance beamed, relief flooding from him as his shoulders visibly relaxed. He said, “Okay, now that we’ve settled that and we are definitely boyfriends for real—and by the way, I won’t start the counter anew just because you didn’t pay attention—now… can you kiss me?”

“That’s fair. Sure. Yeah, I’m gonna kiss you right now.”

And this was the story of how they had their first kiss, seven months in, because Keith wasn’t aware they were dating this whole time and Lance assumed they were just taking things slow.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: Lance's confession is heavily inspired by how I confessed to my first girlfriend forever ago. If we were fictional people, there would have been a huge misunderstanding like this. Because I literally just. Pushed a bag of badly homemade caramels in her hand the night before valentine's. Didn't say anything, just pushed the bag in her hands lmao but apparently the message came across and that moment was when she realized she likes me too so lmao  
> But anyway, yes, that way of confessing was what inspired the setup for this mess. Except Lance, while not _saying_ anything, at least spelled it out except Keith didn't notice and thus didn't get the memo that Lance does, in fact, have romantic feelings for him
> 
> As usual, you can find me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/crystalklances) and [tumblr](http://crystalklances.tumblr.com)! I'd love to make more friends in the fandom!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [5 + 1 times: lance and the search for keith's boyfriend](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15060404) by [haikquu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haikquu/pseuds/haikquu)




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